US tanker transfers fuel to Subic storage facility

MANILA, Philippines —  US-registered tanker is currently in the country to transfer fuel from a military base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to a commercial storage facility in Subic Bay, according to the US embassy in Manila.

“We confirm that the Yosemite Trader, a commercial tanker, is currently in the vicinity of Subic Bay to transfer clean fuel from a US military facility on Red Hill, Pearl Harbor,” US embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay said.

“This is one of multiple shipments of safe, clean fuel from the Red Hill facility to other locations in the Pacific,” Gangopadhyay added.

Earlier, Sen. Imee Marcos demanded an explanation from the Department of National Defense (DND) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) over the shipment of 39 million gallons of fuel from the US Navy to Subic.

Marcos, chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations, lamented that the “inexplicable silence” of both the Philippine and US governments on the matter raised suspicions about the pre-positioning of military supplies in the country.

Marcos questioned why the shipment was done in “secret.”

“All arrangements for the transfer and storage of this fuel were made through the proper channels, using established logistics contracts with Philippine commercial entities,” Gangopadhyay said.

Reports said the final shipment of fuel from the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility left Hawaii in December as the storage facility was to be closed due to a leak that polluted the water system.

A report from the American Maritime Officers (AMO) said the Pohang Pioneer and Yosemite Trader, both tankers operated by the USMMI and manned in all licensed positions by AMO members, were awarded charters to remove military fuel from the Red Hill storage facility in Hawaii.

The US Navy runs the Red Hill fuel station, which also supplies fuel to ships and aircraft from Pearl Harbor.

A jet fuel leak from the station contaminated the local water supply, prompting the Navy to empty it to facilitate repairs.

The DND yesterday confirmed the arrival of fuel from Hawaii, although its spokesman Arsenio Andolong described the shipment as a regular commercial transaction between the US government and Philippine companies. –  Michael Punongbayan